Estimation of the Inequality in the Variation in Female Life-Expectancy Explained by Air Pollution: A State Level Analysis Using Indian Data

Kaushiki Banerjee () and Arpita Ghose
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Kaushiki Banerjee: Barasat Government College
Arpita Ghose: Jadavpur University

A chapter in Gender (In)equality and Social Development, 2025, pp 287-303 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The present study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of air pollution in explaining poor female health status in India using a panel dataset covering major Indian states from 2017 to 2021. The problem originates from the fact that Indian women suffer from worse health outcomes and air-quality is also horrifically worse. The dependent variable is female life-expectancy at birth (FLE) which is regressed on a set of explanatory variables where air pollution (measured by the level of SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5 in the air) is a major one and other variables include growth, urbanization, poverty, literacy rate, government expenditure on health etc. The random effects model as suggested by the result of Hausman Test, finds adverse impact of air pollution on FLE for both rural and urban India. Given the harmful impact of air pollution on FLE, further the inequality variation in FLE caused by air pollution is estimated with the help of Gini-coefficient and Lorenz curve. For this, FLE is regressed by only considering the air pollution variables and residual sum of squares is derived, deducting which from total sum of squares yield estimated sum of squares explaining the variation in FLE caused by only air pollution. The result suggests that air pollution causes significant inequality in the variation of FLE showing moderate decline over the period 2017–2021. Inequality is found to be higher in urban areas as air pollution is more severe there. But rural air pollution also calls for urgent attention as there is evidence of existence of inequality in FLE caused by it. The results of this study emphasize the need to mitigate air pollution by primarily focusing on urban cities. Also thrust must be given to improve rural air quality. Thus, strategies to heighten growth rate, promote urbanization and exterminate poverty must be accompanied by policies to control air pollution to achieve longer FLE.

Keywords: Female life expectancy; Air pollution; India; Random effects model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 I19 J21 O53 Q59 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-96-7979-9_18

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-7979-9_18

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